


They Say You Want A Revolution

by joufancyhuh



Series: Queen & Lionheart [8]
Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Criminal mastermind Reyes, F/M, Leather & Lace 2018, References to Torture, References to past Reyder, Reyes Vidal is not a good person, Sibling Rivalry, Strong Language, dark au, mentions of torture, sister to the pathfinder, trapped together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 09:31:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13701723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joufancyhuh/pseuds/joufancyhuh
Summary: Trapped in a kett base after clearing it out, Bain decides it's a good time to approach Ryder about returning to see the only person who can help her achieve her goals.





	They Say You Want A Revolution

**Author's Note:**

> Leather & Lace Day 5: Trapped Together
> 
>  
> 
> Hey, this series isn't dead! Yourlocalpriestess and I have full intent of working on it and finishing. But it's going to be a series of one-shots and this one is set in the middle of everything because, you know, I can't write in order. And so much of this is AU that I don't know how much of this makes sense to people not in the know of what happens.
> 
> All of this comes down to, If you have questions, ask them.
> 
> Also, the one getting posted tomorrow will be the start of Bain and Max's relationship, so hopefully that will clear up some answers. It's on the more... interesting side

“Fuck,” Max groaned, attempting to shoulder the seam of the metal door apart. “Fucking kett. Fucking door. Fucking crates!” She gave up with an exaggerated whine, kicking at the locked door. The crunch of her foot against it unleashed another bout of cursing as she limped backwards, shooting a glare at the man chuckling in the corner of the dark room. “You could help, asshole.” 

“You seem to be doing fine on your own,” Bain replied while messing with his omni-tool. “Though maybe you should try shooting it a few times just to be sure.”

She swung her fist in his direction. Without sparing even a glance up, he took a step out of the way of her arc. “You act like this happens on every hunt.”

“Just the ones you come on.” He pressed a button on his ‘tool, the doors sliding open with ease in front of them. “Good thing I’m always prepared.” 

Her foot ached as she attempted to lay weight to it. Maybe she broke it after all. She held up the grenades she found stuffed into the crate. “But it was worth it, right?” They moved out the door, Bain’s strides wider and quicker than her own sluggish, uneasy pace. 

Bain peeked over his shoulder, pausing to gift her a few extra seconds to catch up. “Wait here, I’ll grab the shuttle.” 

“I can still fight. I’m no one’s dead fucking weight.”

“You weren’t supposed to be on this hunt, Hummingbird.” He scowled, an edge to his response. 

“What? You want me to sit around and wait back at your place like some kind of kept woman? Get the fuck over yourself, Massani.” Max waited for a retort of some kind, but the only response he dignified her accusations with came to a slight narrowing of his eyes. 

“When we get back, you and I need to have a chat.” 

She snarled, scuffing the heel of her boot on the ground. “Why fucking wait? Let’s have it out now.” She jumped onto one of the nearby crates, her foot grateful for the relief of pressure. 

“We need to leave in case those kett had friends.” 

“You’re supposedly a hunter, right? So, let them fucking come.” 

Bain pushed a breath through his nose audibly before taking a knee in front of her. Careful, he rested her aching foot to the perch he created with his leg, unlacing the straps of her boot as she gritted her teeth. “You’re injured,” he muttered as he slipped the shoe off her foot. She didn’t need her sock off to know it swelled underneath. 

She bit into her bottom lip when his fingers began to prod, determining where the greatest pain occurred. Grabbing the heel of her foot to rest in his palm, his thumb massaged into her arch. She spat silent curses under her breath at the touch, no matter how delicate he worked. 

“Not broken,” he said when he spotted her glaring down at him. He patted the top of her foot before maneuvering it back inside the boot. “Maybe a sprain.” 

“I don’t need to stand to fire a fucking gun.” She stayed seated on the crate, even after he finished relacing her boot, dark eyes scanning his veiled expression.

“You’ll only slow me down.” 

Max groaned, reaching towards him to smack at his chest. He stepped back, anticipating her rage at the comment. He was good at that, sometimes figuring things out before even she realized what she needed or planned to do. Much better than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. “Fucking fight me, if you’re going to insult me like that.” 

“It’s not an insult, it’s fact.” 

She growled, snapping her teeth at him. “I hate it when you use that damn level tone with me.”

“You want a fight, you know who to go see.” 

She huffed, crossing her arms at the allusion to Reyes. “Fuck that. After what he did to me?” She kicked her good foot out in the distance between them. 

“What he did was monstrous, I’m aware. But the two of you want similar things, and go about it in similar ways.”  Bain checked over his ammo before popping a fresh clip in. “You’re a lot more alike than you think.” 

“I wouldn’t do what he did to me. Never.” Her nails pressed against the metal lid of the crate until her fingers ached, her breaths hissed from between her clenched teeth and passing through her violent red lips. The argument aged the longer they orbited around each other, Bain’s attempting to talk her into forgiveness. But how did someone forgive the person who fucking tortured them, who fucking manipulated them and used them? Fuck, she didn’t even know Reyes’ real name until months after the two started fucking each other. 

Simple answer: forgiveness didn’t exist for crimes of that severity. 

“He said you fucked him up pretty good before you left.” 

“That bastard deserved a lot worse.” In hindsight, tying a naked Lucas or Reyes, whatever fucking name he wanted to call himself, to a bed and electrocuting him didn’t garner the best sympathy, but she had been so fucking angry; she still was, even two months after the truth came out.

Bain crouched down on one side of the door before opening it, a couple shots ringing through the opening from the outside. She struggled to jump down, but he held up his hand. “Stay here. Shoot anyone that comes in that’s not me. And think about what I said while I get the shuttle.” He fired off a round, a screech sounding from the other side. “You and Reyes want your revolution. I’m not the guy who’s going to be able to help with that.” 

Fuck Reyes’ version of revolution, of kidnapping her fresh out of the coma, of breaking one of her fucking legs. She still had nightmares from her time in the Collective’s hands. Yeah, okay, maybe now that Max worked with her Pathfinder sister, she now wanted to stop her twin from destroying any good left in the new system. Maybe her and Reyes’ goals aligned now. But she wanted a better way to go about it than his criminal path. And she wanted Viv alive at the end of this, even if only to kill the Pathfinder herself. 

Fuck him and his fucked-up version of revolution.

“I’d rather die first,” she seethed, but Bain ducked around the corner, out of her line of sight. 


End file.
